MAY/JUNE CYCLE BUDDIES!!

[IrishHope]

LoveBug - I have been in HR for 12 years - if you must you can possibly get a doctor's note stating you needed to be out of work and/or petition to go out under FMLA (which your employer must approve) but is a federal law to protect your job...has your boss known about your on going medical issues? It is a PLUS for you if they have been aware...there are many avenues you could go but hopefully your boss will re-think it and it won't get to the point of anything drastic...alot of time vacation/personal time must be pre approved by a Supervisor but "sick" you can't always plan ahead...Good Luck!

[LB]

Hi everyone! Sorry to be MIA - I was out of town visiting my father-in-law over the weekend, and yesterday was at an out of office conference all day.

So glad to hear everyone is moving along.

Karen - best of luck - one is all you need!

SDtrying - so glad you got the go-ahead, best of luck with ER. I had to coast last cycle which is what ended it, but my problem was the opposite of you - they were worried about OHSS and my follicles were doing fine coasting, but my estrogen plummetted - I never have to worry about high estrogen levels!!

Rinnie and LoveBug - I am just about on the same schedule as you. LoveBug, I am so sorry your boss is being so ridiculous - as if anything would make you miss these dates. Hopefully it all works out.

Things are moving along for me. RE upped my meds on Friday, and things looked good yesterday and today - still have lots of follies but not nearly as many as before so he told me today that we should be fine to trigger with hcg and he is not worried about OHSS - YEAH!!! That is a big victory for me. I took my half dose of cetrotide last night (used instead of lupron to suppress ovulation) and will do the other half tonight. ER could be Friday or Saturday - getting so close!

Hope everyone else is doing well!

[jharris12]

Hey ladies. How are you all hanging in there today? Me, not so good. So my E2 yesterday only went from 92 to 127, which is still really low, so they increased my Gonal-f AGAIN! And I had to go back this morning for my 3rd day in a row for BW, and I also got an US. I'm still waiting to hear my E2 levels, but during the US, the nurse also said my lining is thin, only 5.5. So she wrote me a prescription for E-String, which is a vaginal estrogen ring. Guess we will see how that goes. And she said I had follicles on each side, but they were still small. But she said hopefully over the next couple of days my E2 level will increase with the meds increase so this cycle won't have to be cancelled. I keep hearing everyone saying they took their Gonal-f (or Follistim) in the stomach, but my office said in the thigh or arm. Now I'm wondering if I should do mine in my tummy anyway?! This is so nerve racking! It doesn't help that these meds have made me an emotional basket case anyway! I cried when I got my E2 level, I cried this morning when she said there was a chance if my levels didn't go up that this cycle would be cancelled! OK, enough of my emotional rambling.

LB: Glad to hear things are moving well for you! Everyone else is worried about OHSS, I'm woried about nit getting stimulated enough! Good luck with ER this weekend!!

LoveBug: Good luck with the HR thing. I told my boss about this procedure before we started and he hsa been very supportive. I have had to come in late several times due to doctor appts in the mornings. Hopefully your boss will come around.

SD: Glad you worked out the DH's work problem! And congrats on getting to trigger! Good luck!

Ads; I agree, there is no way it should only be Tuesday! This week is going by entirely too slow. I hope it speeds up for you!

Queenie: Congrats on getting a schedule!! I too am an impatient person, so I can tell you this is even worse for people like us! But good luck!

Rinnie: It seems like almost everyone else has a problem with too much instead of not enough like me! They started me on a low dose of Gonal-f. Apparebtly too low. Good luck with yours. Keep us posted!

Hope everyone else is doing well? OK, I'm going to call our info line and see if my E2 results are in yet. Talk to ya later!

[Prawnster]

Hello All

Just a quick post to say I am thinking of you all. Good luck kYW, just think of that little old embie sticking on! Also quite agree, wow we had some sunshine in England today - I could hang some washing out for a change!

I am plodding along with the sniffing (Bureslin) but have been experiencing some headaches and sleepless nights. I had forgotton about the side effects and hope it settles down a little as I was like a zombie today!

Must go as my Chili con carne is waiting.

Take care all

Louise

[Rinnie]

jharris12 I'm right there with you! I'm so emotional right now. They told me I might have to trigger tomorrow night after barely 8 days of stimms & I started crying. I'm praying they let me coast an extra day....I don't have good egg quality anyway & I don't think 8 days is enough for good quality.
Problem is they couldn't take me completely off menopur because you can only decrease it 2 vials every 2 days & I was on 3, so I still have to take one tonight instead of just letting the follies do their own thing.

Oh well, it is what it is...hopefully I'm slowed enough & hopefully you're speeding up

LoveBug That is so frustrating! If worst comes to worst I would tell him why & I know he'll come around. Or maybe you won't get OHSS this time & you'll be fine! Play it by ear, plan to go & then tell him if you need to.

SDTrying I'm glad you got to trigger!! Good luck tomorrow, I'll say a prayer! Poor dh...running & shooting & running back


Rin

[kyw]

Hello!

Kimmy - my doc said resting wasn't necessary but I have done it anyway especially as the weather is great here this week. I snoozed in the garden all day today!
Our protocols are different to yours - I didn't use estrace or anything like it - just syneral then puregon/follistim and then the trigger and the progesterone pessaries.
For FET I have only had the trigger and the pessaries

JHarriss - I had huge doses of puregon to give myself - almost the maximum at 400units but that was because my FSH is 18

Love Bug - that sucks about your work. I am lucky I have an amazing boss whom I have cried on about this a few times over the past few years.

Don't worry Rinnie - I am sure it will be ok

SDtrying - good luck for tomorrow

As for me - nothing going on here. Thats the worst thing about FET you don't feel anything. Am going to POAS this time as last time we drove to London for an hour for it to be a BFN.

Take care all. Think of me when I am sunbathing in the garden tomorrow!

[Amberb28]

Hi everyone... How r u all doing.... Thanks a lot for a warm welcome... I dont have my ER/ET dates as I just started my BCP... it should be around 1st week of June.. As soon as I get the dates from my RE, I would update you on the same....

Jharris stay positive.. everything will be good.. Have faith in GOD!!..

Lots of baby dust to all!!

[MzTia]

Hello Ladies

I was hoping to join this thread. This is my first IVF upcoming and it is quite scary. Just reading the posts is helpful. A little about me. My DH and I have been TTC for 4 yrs now. We do have a DD but since a diagnosis of Diabetes for him it has left us with no chance of conceiveing naturally. I am fine but he has very low count and motility so we are going straight to IVF w/ ICSI. Just got a visit from AF so I start BCP's tomorrow YAY. My ER is tentative for around the second week in June.

[hopinginpa]

SDtrying- Good luck tomorrow.

MzTia-welcome. My DH has diabetes as well. He is pump dependent. I have asked many endocrinologists about diabetes affecting fertility and they all claim it doesn't! DH does poor morphology. I believe it does! We are using ICSI again this cycle.

I got AF today so I will be having my first US on Thursday and starting BCP at that point. I will start lupron in 3 weeks.
I am also starting acupuncture next week. Anybody else doing acupuncture? What can I expect?

AmberB28- looks like we will be stimming together!

Hope everybody is doing well.

[cocosmomma]

I am starting acupuncture next week, too! I am hoping it will reduce my stress and anxiety. As much as I try, I get so wound up when in the process that it ends up being all I think and talk about. Once the cycle is over, even when I get terrible news, I always feel a sense of relief because I realize how much I allowed it to rule my life. Anyone else feel that way?

I am hoping the acupuncture will help. I suspect it is only as good as you allow it to be, meaning if you don't believe, it won't help. So...I am trying to understand the benefits and the theory and practice behind it. We shall see!

My acupuncturist recommended I read Infertility Cure. I have it ordered. Has anyone read it?

[turtlesonastump]

Well, went in for my first bw and u/s after baseline. I have been on stims for since Friday and my E2 was low at 39.2. My husband laughed and said this was the first test I have failed. They doubled my Gonal-f dosage to 300 a day and lowered my Lupron from 10 to 5. In a couple of days I will add Menopur to my protocol. I don’t go in until Friday to see if everything is going up. The good thing I guess is that my eggs are getting bigger. They saw 6 on the right around 11 and 3 on the left around 8. My lining was 4.6.

Jharris – you were worried about your 92 and mine was less than half that!! What did they up your meds to? You are worried because you do yours in the leg and I am worried because I do all mine in my belly. I guess if the numbers are not the best then we blame it on something. I think we just need to keep PMA and relax. Hard to do with so many hormones going through our system

Rinnie – hope your numbers settle. It is funny how we are all so different. You have huge numbers while mine are miniscule Just make sure you keep your spirit up. Instead of borrowing, you can have my roll!! After my accident I gained 30 pounds and just cannot get rid of it Hoping your eggs mature nice for you.

Karen – good luck on your FET. Hope your one is the one

Cocosmama – I know what you mean about it taking over your life. I can’t stop thinking, researching and obsessing about it. I should be studying, but end of reading this board or researching stuff about IVF. I talk about it to everyone. Hoping I calm down some and get some work done.

Well, think I am going to go to bed early tonight and try to relax.

[ForMaggie]

Guess who has a belly full of Lupron? I DO! Went to see my RE yesterday and she told me all was a go. The only thing that was a little disconcerting is, apparently due to the BCPs, I have developed a big old cyst on my left ovary. How bizarre. Two weeks ago I had an ultrasound and all was well. Anyway, she wouldn't give me the go ahead until she looked at my bloodwork to make sure the cyst wasn't affecting my hormone levels. It was fine, so last night I laid on the floor and DH lanced me in the belly. Note to first timers: The anticipation is far worse than the actual event. It didn't hurt at all. Like AdsGirl, I did have slight burning and itching at the injection site.

Tentatively, my ER is scheduled for 5/30. And LoveBug, I am facing a similar problem. I work for a state agency and after all kinds of scheduling, resheduling and coordinating, I am booked to do a major 2-day presentation on 5/28 and 5/29. The presentation is required by state statute and if I don't do it...I will have to answer to the commissioner and the state legislature. I am really stressed about this. I haven't told my boss (who is a new boss, by the way, I have only been working for her for less than two weeks.) Anyone have any suggestions?

Karen: I have a good feeling about your little frostie. Keep the faith! I think you make a great case for POAS before the RE's blood test. I have been so emotional lately. Yesterday, I learned DH had never read Charlotte's Web so I tried to tell him the story. I was crying so violently that I couldn't get the words out..."Charlotte was this spi-spi-spi-ahhhhhhhhhh!"

LB: Glad to hear that you got some encouraging news from your RE!

SDTrying: Congrats! I will be thinking of you today. LOTS OF GOOD EGGS! I am with Rinnie....YOUR POOR DH. It's hard enough for the guys period.

Rinnie: I hope your RE allows you to coast until the perfect moment. Pamper yourself today and do the things you love. I am sending good, mature egg vibes your way.

Louise: Get out there and catch some rays while you can! More and more studies are connecting Vitamin D with better health.

Question for all: Does anyone have any thoughts on exercise during this process? I normally do about an hour of cardio per day (treadmill, stairmaster, bike) and then do a few sets with light hand weights. Should I ratchet this down? What is everyone else doing?

[ForMaggie]

Turtlesonastump and Cocosmama: I think it is fair to say that the women on this thread (and on this site) are most likely proactive, go-getters who are willing to dedicate time, money and emotional and physical effort to the pursuit of a squirming, powder-scented goal. Frankly, you don't pursue IVF if you aren't this type. However, the very personality traits that get us here are the things that make us crazy during the process. We want to know every number, every level, every quirk of the procedure. We research, compare notes, contrast protocols.

I am the ultimate Type A personality. I am a ball of stress and I worry about everything. However, for this, I am trying to give myself a break. Be kind and show myself a little TLC. I chose my RE very carefully...and now I am going to trust and let her do her job. (GOD, IT's HARD!) I have decided not to badger the medical staff about my numbers. Frankly, I don't want to know because if I do, I will research and agonize and research some more. (I can't tell you how many times I have "misdiagnosed" myself.)

So I have decided to try to keep everything low key. I know this is not the path for everyone.

Have a great day!

[BichonMom]

I used to work in HR and my undergrad degree is in HR. Unfortunately, your boss is legally allowed to fire you if she can prove you are not meeting your job expectations. It sucks I know but it's true. Companies now a days could care less about their employees, at least that is how I feel. I worked in HR and they are the worse of all at treating people. I haven't told any of my bosses that I am going through IVF because I am afraid that they will worry about me not working through the treatment as well as being pregnant and going on leave. No matter how cool you think your boss is, I don't trust any of them!!!

I guess I look at it this way. It's a job and I know I will/can find another one, but having a family is more important to me than anything so pretty much F* them and make sure I put myself first. I have learned it easier to ask for forgivness rather than permission. So, I tell them I have to go to Dr appt. but legally because of HIPPA I don't have to tell them why. It just sucks really how screwed up the priorities of others have become!!

Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well. I am waiting for AF to come ( I just got finished) so I can find out when our next cycle will begin. it sucks that you wait and wait then all of sudden you are in the middle of the craziness!! But its SOOOOO worth it!!

*Hugs* and Good luck to everyone cycling in May!! I am hoping for BFP for all!!

[jharris12]

Good morning everyone. How are you all today?

turtles: My Gonal-f started at 150IU, then when my E2 was only 92, they upped it to 300IU, next day my E2 was 127, so they upped it again to 400IU, the next day (yesterday) my E2 was 234 and they upped my Gonal now to 450IUs!! Man I am really, really hoping that my E2 was good this morning. This stuff is going to get even more expensive taking that much more per dose! I had several follicles at my US yesterday, but they were all below 10. And my lining was 5.5 so they wrote me a prescription for E-String, which is a vaginal estrogen ring you insert and leave in to release estrogen, which is supposed to thicken the lining. So what have they done to increase your levels?

ForMaggie: Congrats on starting Lupron! I had myself worked up about taking shots, too, but they really aren't that bad. So good luck with yours. And I don't exercise on a regular basis, but I remember my nurse telling me not to lift anything heavy or exercise heavy during stims. You may want to ask your doctor about it though. I'm sure they all have different opinions.

hopininpa & MzTia: My DH is also diabetic, and he has poor morphology so we will have to do ICSI. So it is looking like diabetes definitely effects fertility! Good luck to both of you.

Amber: Thanks for the encouragement. I am doing my best to stay positive. I keep telling myself I'm apparently not out of the game yet or they would have cancelled my cycle already. I have total faith in God, and I know if he wants this to work, it will! Good luck on your cycle!

Rinnie: How are you doing? Have they told you anything more about when you will trigger? I've been praying for you. Here's hoping you slow down and I catch that speed!!

SD: Good luck with your ER! Give us an update when you can!

To everyone else, hope you are all doing well? Now I need to get back to working!